Vince Gilligan

Writer and producer Vince Gilligan rose to prominence in the television world after penning some of the most memorable episodes of the cult science fiction series "The X-Files" (Fox, 1993-2002). Scrip...
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AMC
Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul has already been greenlit for a second season nearly a year before the series premieres in 2015.
Bosses at America's AMC network have decided to give the show a 13-episode second season, due to air in early 2016. Better Call Saul, a prequel series starring Bob Odenkirk as scheming lawyer Saul Goodman, was originally slated to premiere this November (14), but executives pushed its debut back to early 2015.
Production is already underway in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the Emmy-winning drug drama was also shot, and Breaking Bad creator and executive producer Vince Gilligan is slated to direct the season premiere.

Lionsgate via Everett Collection
If Battle Creek, Michigan is known at all, it's for being the home of Kellogg's, the country's largest cereal manufacturer. If Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan has anything to say about it, however, that's all about to change. Gilligan, along with former House executive producer David Shore, has the crime drama Battle Creek premiering on CBS in the fall. The show follows Josh Duhamel as an FBI agent dispatched from Detroit to the Southwestern Michigan city to set up a new field office, who has to work with a local detective, played by Dean Winters (Law &amp; Order: SVU). It's a high powered affair with X-Men: Days of Future Past director Bryan Singer helming the first episode and serving as one of the show's producers.
In Breaking Bad, Gilligan charted the rise of Walter White, an unlikely drug kingpin in the semi-odd location of Albuquerque, New Mexico. While that locale was strictly chosen for financial considerations — the cost to shoot there was cheaper than California — this time the show's setting was done with a purpose.
By placing the show in a small, economically depressed city — especially one surrounded largely by rural areas and tied to the rest of the world by the interstate that runs through it connecting Detroit with Chicago — Gilligan has set his story up to deal with issues that we don’t normally see a big city crime drama delve into. The detectives on the show will be working with basically no budget and without much support. Unlike, say, the detectives on Castle, a show where there is a seemingly neverending supply of resources, Battle Creek's law enforcement will be forced to work with the outdated technology and Duhamel's earnest FBI agent won't be getting a warm reception from the locals (who also include Kal Penn and Janet McTeer).
Settling in a Midwestern city, where there's a stark racial disparity between the population within the city limits and the population just outside, gives Gilligan and his writers an opportunity to address social issues that frequently get ignored these days by most police dramas... namely the rifts that still exist throughout much of the nation along both racial and socioeconomic lines. In a nod to Breaking Bad — and given the actual level of the crime in the actual Battle Creek — expect to see some storylines that deal with crystal meth producers.
Unlike some other crime shows that have been set off the beaten path — such as Twin Peaks or Justified — the feel of Battle Creek isn't meant to come off as unique or quirky. The real Battle Creek is a mix of urban decay, Midwestern values and apathy brought on by the steady decrease in the area's industry and economy (full disclosure: I grew up in the area and still pass through on a semi-regular basis). It's a situation that is germane to a lot of small cities that once had a wealth of manufacturing that helped it grow but then did not have anything to replace the jobs or money when those companies moved or closed.
Gilligan originally tried to sell his pilot script about 10 years ago at the onset of the country's economic downturn. Years later, the situation hasn't changed markedly for Battle Creek and dozens of cities exactly like it. Deciding to tell a police story amidst that reality is an interesting choice… what Gilligan and his team decide to do with it will be fascinating to watch.
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CBS Broadcasting
CBS announced its fall television lineup today, and the network seems to be charting very familiar territory. While the other broadcast players scramble for the next big thing, CBS is firmly in cruise control. It would be easy to say that the the channel is just going through the motions, but the folks at CBS know what works and know their audience even better, which is why they're still the reigning champs of broadcast television. This year, the channel that brought you NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles, brings you their next surefire hit, NCIS: Somewhere Else, plus another half dozen police procedurals and two new comedies... one of which is actually a really old comedy. In these hardscrabble times, it may be difficult to decide which NCIS to watch, so we've rounded up all the new shows in CBS's 2014-2015 lineup.
Scorpion What It Is: Drama.What's It About: Eccentric genius and his team of misfits battle against high tech threats of the modern age, but the socially awkward group needs a translator of sorts, to help them communicate to the world around them.Who's In It: Elyes Gabel, Robert Patrick, Katharine McPhee.What It Sounds Like: The Big Bang Theory meets Criminal Minds. How Good Will It Be: It looks like This show looks like it might try to mine the same kinds of humor as The Big Bang Theory, which often nosedives into silly stereotyping of nerd culture without being actually funny or insightful. This one isn’t looking good at all. How Long Will It Last: CBS might be trying to find a bridge between the faux-geeky comedy in Big Bang and the litany of cop procedurals on the network. Perhaps the network’s audience will pick up on that. Airs: Mondays at 10 PM this fall.
NCIS: New Orleans What It Is: Police procedural.What's It About: The local field office investigates criminal cases involving military personnel. Who's In It: Scott Bakula, Lucas Black, Zoe McLellan.What It Sounds Like: It’s going to be NCIS, but everyones going to be talking about gumbo. How Good Will It Be: As good as an NCIS spin-off can be. Scott Bakula is great, but we doubt he's going to flourish in this.How Long Will It Last: Forever.Airs: Tuesdays at 9 PM this fall.
Stalker What It Is: Police procedural. What's It About: Det. Jack Larsen and his new boss, Lt. Beth Davis, investigate dangerous stalker incidents. Who's In It: Maggie Q, Dylan McDermott.What It Sounds Like: The inevitable Catfish episode of Law and Order: SVU. How Good Will It Be: CBS already has about 90 other cop shows, and this one isn’t doing much to stand out. There’s a new wrinkle (hey, we’re only going after stalkers in this on) but that’s no enough to separate it from the herd. How Long Will It Last: McDermott’s last show on CBS, Hostages, was a big misfire for the network. Plus, there are already so many procedurals clogging up the network’s schedule. We’re thinking some cop drama fatigue might be creeping in. Airs: Wednesday at 10 PM this fall.
Madame Secretary What It Is: Political drama.What's It About: Elizabeth Cord, the newly appointed Secretary of State, balances work and family life while trying to serve the President. Who's In It: Téa Leoni, Bebe Neuwirth, Geoffrey Arend, Patina Miller.What It Sounds Like: House of Cards without all the murder by train.How Good Will It Be: It looks a little staid compared to the wilder political action available from other dramas of its ilk. Still, maybe a slower drama depicting Washington is a move in the right direction.How Long Will It Last: House of Cards and Scandal has shown that political shows can survive and thrive on TV as long as they’re soapy and ridiculous. Madame Secretary looks a bit tamer than those two efforts so thrillseekers might not be interested. We’ll give it a season or two. Airs: Sundays at 8 PM this fall.
The McCarthys What It Is: Multi-camera sitcom. What's It About: The gay son of a brash Boston family wants to leave the city, but decides to stay when his outspoken and politically incorrect father gives him a position as an assistant coach on the local basketball team. Who's In It: Laurie Metcalf, Tyler Ritter, Jack McGee. What It Sounds Like: That one episode of All in the Family where meathead comes out to Archie. How Good Will It Be: We’re excited to see Laurie Metcalf return to TV, but the story itself doesn’t sound all that original or exciting. How Long Will It Last: Since Fox’s Dads failed to deliver ratings, it seems that we might be a bit tired of the whole "outspoken fathers annoying their sons thing" on TV. This one might not get a back nine. Airs: Thursdays at 9:30 PM this fall.
CSI: CyberWhat It Is: Police procedural.What's It About: Special Agent Avery Ryan is in charge of the Cyber Crime Division of the FBI, a team that solves crimes centered on the Internet.Who's In It: Patricia Arquette.What It Sounds Like: CSI meets the Internet.How Good Will It Be: It depends which The Who song they chose for the theme song. How Long Will It Last: Forever, or at least a handful of years.Airs: Midseason.
Battle Creek What It Is: Police procedural.What's It About: Two bickering detectives with polar opposite world views work together to clean up the mean streets of Battle Creek, Michigan. Who's In It: Josh Duhmel, Dean Winters.What It Sounds Like: A more straightforward version of True Detective How Good Will It Be: Dean Winters is always great, and television heavyweights Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad) and David Shore (House) are producing. This could be something special.How Long Will It Last: This series seems darker and grittier than the average CBS procedural, which might not click with regular viewers of CBS’ breezier cop dramas. We’ll be surprised if this gets a second year. Airs: Midseason.
The Odd Couple What It Is: Multi-camera sitcom. What's It About: Charming slob Oscar Madison and buttoned-up neat freak Felix Unger become unlikely roommates after the demise of their marriages. Who's In It: Matthew Perry, Thomas Lennon.What It Sounds Like: Well… The Odd Couple.How Good Will It Be: We can’t imagine what new spin this new show could put on the Odd Couple formula since every other sitcom is basically a pastiche of the Odd Couple anyway. Been there, done that. How Long Will It Last: Matthew Perry has been on a serious losing streak so he may be a bad omen for The Odd Couple. we'll give it a season.Airs: Midseason.
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Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston plans to direct an episode of the show's upcoming spin-off series Better Call Saul. The spin-off prequel is based on the dodgy dealings of lawyer Saul Goodman and has been created by Vince Gilligan, the writer and producer behind Breaking Bad.
Aaron Paul revealed in March (14) that he would reprise his role of troubled student Jesse Pinkman for occasional episodes but his co-star Cranston is not satisfied with simply playing his character Walter White once more - he wants to work on the show behind the scenes too.
He says, "If Vince calls me, I will do anything he wants. I hope to go back and direct an episode as well." Better Call Saul is due to air in the U.S. in November (14).

Sony Pictures via Everett Collection
For a second there, Better Call Saul was looking like a big excuse for a Breaking Bad reunion.
The upcoming spin-off to the smash television drama has done well to fill its ranks with already familiar faces, but we had yet to see what Better Call Saul has to offer in terms of original characters. Both Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks are set to reprise their roles for the show, and even Aaron Paul has announced he was in serious talks with creator Vince Gilligan about returning for a guest appearance.
While another season of Breaking Bad wouldn’t be entirely unwelcome, we were eager to see some new faces fill out the free spaces in Saul Goodman’s skeezy legal drama. Thankfully, actor Michael McKean has just been tapped to add some new blood to the cast. The actor, famous for playing David St. Hubbins in the classic mockumentary This is Spinal Tap, and a role on the classic sitcom Laverne and Shirley, is set to co-star as Dr. Thurber, a talented lawyer who is hampered by a debilitating medical condition.
If McKean’s role gives you a faint sense of déjà vu, you’re not alone. Dr. Thurber’s story, from the scant few details we know about the character, sounds suspiciously similar to a certain meth kingpin's. Thurber is a gifted lawyer who becomes sick with a strange ailment, while Breaking Bad's Walter White is a gifted chemist who learns that he has lung cancer. Both stories are about smart men whose lives are permanently altered by disease, and in the same way that Walt’s lung cancer sparked a desperate need for recognition inside Walt, whatever affliction is affecting Thurber will likely spark similar feelings of desperation.
There’s narrative power in desperation. It’s a strong, base, human desire, and it fueled some of Breaking Bad’s best stories. You could even make the case that desperation was the most resonant theme in the entire series. Walt’s burgeoning career as a drug dealer started in a desperate attempt to provide for his family before the cancer withered him away, a feat he couldn't possibly manage with the humble earnings of a high school chemistry teacher. Even when Walt's motives changed, and creating meth stopped being a sacrificial act for his family and twisted itself something more prideful, greedy, selfish, and ugly, he was a man still driven by desperation. Walt became a man with a desperate need to be the best, to eliminate his competition, and to create the best product the world had ever seen. He not only wanted fame, but infamy. He was desperate to be somebody after an eternity of feeling like the world's most gifted doormat.
Since McKean's character will likely have similar circumstances surrounding his character, we hope that Vince Gilligan is able to mine the same amounts of depth from this new character of his. November can't come soon enough.
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USA
This past season of Suits seems to have joined in on cable TV's trend of catering to the dwindling attention spans of viewers. At only six episodes long, it was one of the shortest TV seasons out there (though certainly not the shortest — the BBC runs three-episode seasons of Sherlock). But even though this method is becoming common practice, is it effective?
The hope is that short sesasons will provide tighter, more cohesive storylines — an absence of meandering fluff (something prevalent in network TV, thanks to seasons of 20 episodes or more). It's what's keeping the audience riveted, and it's also what's making binge-watching on services like Netflix, Amazon Streaming, or Hulu even more appetizing. Late to a series? You can burn through a season a day or two.
The question is, though, was six episodes too short, or did it hit the Goldilocks measurement of just right? To this viewer, this past season of Suits seemed more rushed, like they took conflict that could have been stretched out over the course of several episodes and crammed it all into an hour. Rick Hoffman' Louis Litt had a heart attack, proposed to his girlfriend and lost her all in the span of one single hour. Patrick J. Adams' Mike Ross waffled back and forth about leaving the firm for what seemed like too short a time. This season wasn't given space to breathe — a six-episode cap warranted longer individual broadcasts, in earnest. FX adds time to its episodes all the time (for example, Sons of Anarchy) and it has proven a more effective way to tell stories. The cost? Missing out on a rerun of Law &amp; Order: SVU once a week. Not too big a price to pay,
Another big trend is the splitting of seasons into two parts. Breaking Bad's two eight-episode semi-seasons made the final run of the show feel stifled. The time between the setup for Walter White to put all his chess pieces in place and his vindication felt too rushed — an extra episode or two in the home stretch might have helped. As a result of the format, the series finale seemed to fly by to quickly, with the last 15 minutes cramming in what needed another hour at least.
Obviously, there's no one-size-fit-all for a season's length. Some want to have entire real seasons (winter, spring, summer) go by as they watch their shows while others may want to have the show wrapped up as quickly as possible so they can move onto the next thing. I tend to find that the sweet spot is at least 12 to 13 episodes. Just long enough to really be able to have some meat in the plot but not so long that they have a ton of fillers that move the main plot along at a glacier's pace (Supernatural, I'm looking at you). I just think that this season of Suits felt as though its jacket sleeves ended at the elbows its pant legs ended at the knees. Do a better job of tailoring next time.
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Breaking Bad star Giancarlo Esposito nearly missed out on the chance to be a part of the hit drama as he initially turned down his role as a drug kingpin. The Usual Suspects actor won critical acclaim for his role as Gus Fring, a drug overlord who runs his business through a fried chicken chain, after joining the cast in the second season, scooping a Critics' Choice Award and an Emmy nomination.
However, Esposito has now revealed he initially declined the role when he was offered it by creator Vince Gilligan, as he feared his character would be killed off too quickly.
He says, "I didn't know the show at the time. I asked to see an episode and was really impressed with the quality and the writing. At that point, I had done so many guest spots in my life I wanted to be part of a family. I wasn't in the market for another guest spot. And I guess, because I'm more seasoned, the attitude I took was that I will be dedicated to your show and I feel I can add to your show long term, but you have to show me dedication, too. And they responded to that."
Esposito became a cast regular and starred in three seasons of the drug drama.

Filmmaker Bryan Singer is heading back to TV to direct Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan's new show Battle Creek. The X-Men director is reteaming with David Shore, who he worked with on House, for the project, which stars Law & Order: SVU's Dean Winters and Kal Penn as a detective and a FBI agent who team up to fight crime in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul is in "serious talks" to reprise his role in the hit TV drama for the show's upcoming spin-off series, Better Call Saul. Show co-creator Vince Gilligan has been working on a prequel based on the dodgy dealings of lawyer Saul Goodman, played by Bob Odenkirk, and Paul reveals he has been invited to reunite with his old co-stars as troubled youth Jesse Pinkman.
His character will be portrayed as a low-level drug dealer before he joined forces with his high school chemistry teacher-turned-drug lord Walter White (Bryan Cranston).
He tells the New York Daily News, "Anything Vince is involved with, I'm there. I owe him my entire career. And the idea of jumping into the skin of Jesse Pinkman again in his lighter days - because it's all a prequel - it would be fun."
Paul won't be the only familiar face making an appearance on Better Call Saul - Jonathan Banks, who played private investigator Mike Ehrmantraut, has also signed on for the series.
It is not yet known if Cranston will also return, but Dean Norris, who was cast as his onscreen brother-in-law and drug enforcement agent Hank Schrader, will not be part of the reunion.
He says, "I think that experience was that experience. I'm not a big fan of kind of revisiting something that has already been done. But I think it's going to be awesome. So I can't wait to see it."
Better Call Saul is due to debut on America's AMC network in November (14), a year after Breaking Bad's fifth and final season aired on TV.

AMC Networks
Recently it was announced that Jonathan Banks would be reprising the role of dead-eyed fixer Mike Ehrmantraut in Better Call Saul, the spin-off/prequel to Breaking Bad. This elicited much jubilation among fans, who have been suffering much withdrawal after Walter White went to the Great Meth Lab in the Sky and Jesse Pinkman accomplished the feat of driving straight off a TV show and into a movie.
What I like about this is that Ehrmantraut is a fascinating character. I, for one, am interested in learning more about his back story, about how he became a corrupt cop and maybe even seeing that whole sequence of events that led to his 'no half-measures' mantra. Banks knows how to hold our interest on camera. That's not to say that Bob Odenkirk, Lavell Crawford and Bill Burr aren't fun to watch.They are and had some of the most hilarious scenes from the show. We've only been exposed to those in small sequences though: are we ready for all Saul, Huell and Kuby all the time? The show will need Ehrmantraut -- and with his return, I am really hoping that Giancarlo Esposito comes back as Gus Fring -- to help glue it all together.
There has also been news that Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul would be open to cameos on this new show. That got me thinking, though: sure, I could see Pinkman crossing paths with Saul Goodman and his cohorts, since he knew that he was a crooked lawyer and all that. White had no idea who Saul was prior to his meth-selling partner introducing him. There are a couple of possibilities, though. White worked at a car wash before he learned he had cancer: Saul could walk through there sometime and have White in the background. Another possibility is they could see him during another Breaking Bad incident from Saul and not White's ultimate point of view. Of course, I know better than to try to second-guess Vince Gilligan.
The pieces are getting put together for another run with some very interesting characters. But if Banks hadn't signed on for this, I would hope that he would have held out for another spin-off: A Man Called Mike. I would have watched the heck out of that one and I know the majority of you fans out there would too. Besides, who wants our last memory of him being him dissolved in a vat of hydrofloric acid?
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Met Bryan Cranston when he guest starred on "The X-Files" episode titled "Drive," co-written by Gilligan

Worked as writer, creative consultant, and supervising producer on Fox's "The X-Files"; began executive producing series in 2000

With Vincent Ngo, co-wrote screenplay for superhero feature "Hancock"

Summary

Writer and producer Vince Gilligan rose to prominence in the television world after penning some of the most memorable episodes of the cult science fiction series "The X-Files" (Fox, 1993-2002). Scripts such as "Small Potatoes," which was later voted one of <i>TV Guide</i>'s "100 Best Episodes of All Time," quickly elevated him to executive producer and creative consultant for the series, as well as for its less popular spin-off "The Lone Gunman" (Fox, 2001-02). After "The X-Files" closed up shop, it took a lot of false starts and stops before Gilligan found success on his own as the creator of "Breaking Bad" (AMC, 2008- ), a gritty drama about a terminally ill science teacher who uses his knowledge of chemistry to set up a meth lab in order to support his family. The show netted overwhelmingly positive response from audiences, as well as a 2008 Emmy for Gilligan's direction of the pilot episode. His work on the series, as well as the script for Will Smith's superhero comedy "Hancock" (2008), indicated that the scriptwriter-turned-showrunner had finally arrived, independent of the considerable shadow cast by the phenomenon that was "The X-Files."

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Education

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New York University's Tisch School of the Arts

Notes

"I honestly fear that this will be the highlight of my career. And you don't want it to be! You'd rather be Clint Eastwood than Orson Welles. You'd rather be doing some of your best work toward the end than at the beginning of it." – Gilligan on "Breaking Bad," quoted in Rolling Stone, Aug. 16, 2012